An assembly of nanoelements forms a three-dimensional nanoscale circuit interconnect for use in microelectronic devices. A process for producing the circuit interconnect includes using dielectrophoresis by applying an electrical field across a gap between vertically displaced non-coplanar microelectrodes in the presence of a liquid suspension of nanoelements such as nanoparticles or single-walled carbon nanotubes to form a nanoelement bridge connecting the microelectrodes. The assembly process can be carried out at room temperature, is compatible with conventional semiconductor fabrication, and has a high yield. The current-voltage curves obtained from the nanoelement bridge demonstrate that the assembly is functional with a resistance of −40 ohms for gold nanoparticles. The method is suitable for making high density three-dimensional circuit interconnects, vertically integrated nanosensors, and for in-line testing of manufactured conductive nanoelements.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A nanoscale three-dimensional circuit interconnect comprising: first and second microelectrodes in a vertically displaced non-coplanar arrangement, the first and second microelectrodes having conductive surfaces facing in substantially the same direction; and a nanoelement bridge attached at a first end to the conductive surface of the first microelectrode and attached at a second end to the conductive surface of the second microelectrode, the bridge consisting essentially of dielectrophoretically assembled nanoparticles or nanotubes.
2. The circuit interconnect of claim 1 , wherein the first and second microelectrodes are vertically separated by a dielectric layer.
3. The circuit interconnect of claim 1 , wherein the first microelectrode is deposited on a substrate.
4. The circuit interconnect of claim 1 , wherein the bridge consists essentially of dielectrophoretically assembled gold nanoparticles or single walled carbon nanotubes.
5. The circuit interconnect of claim 1 , wherein the nanoelements are electrically conductive, are semiconductors, or are non-conductive.
6. The circuit interconnect of claim 1 , wherein the conductive surfaces of the first and second microelectrodes are separated from each other at the location of said bridge by a gap of at least 200 nm.
7. The circuit interconnect of claim 1 , wherein the nanoelement bridge is electrically conductive and has a resistance of 10 ohms to 1000 ohms.
8. The circuit interconnect of claim 1 , wherein the nanoelement bridge is in the form of one or more bundles, clusters, webs, or sheets of said assembled nanoparticles or nanotubes.
9. The circuit interconnect of claim 1 , wherein the circuit interconnect has the property of decreasing resistance with increasing temperature.
10. A microfabricated structure comprising one or more nanoscale three-dimensional circuit interconnects according to claim 1 .
11. An electronic circuit component comprising one or more nanoscale three-dimensional circuit interconnects according to claim 1 .
12. The circuit component of claim 11 , wherein the circuit component is a transistor, an integrated circuit, a logic device, a sensor, or a field emitter.
13. The circuit component of claim 12 , wherein the circuit component is a transistor and the nanoelements used to form the circuit interconnect are semiconducting or non-conducting.
14. The circuit interconnect of claim 4 , wherein the bridge consists essentially of gold nanoparticles.
15. The circuit interconnect of claim 4 , wherein the bridge consists essentially of single walled carbon nanotubes.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
November 8, 2007
January 29, 2013
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